Legal Question in Family Law in Minnesota

The answer is simple. the process is not.

You would have to commence a third party custody action under Minnesota Statutes 257C. To establish that an individual is an interested third party, under the Statute, you must:

(1) show by clear and convincing evidence that one of the following factors exist:

(i) the parent has abandoned, neglected, or otherwise exhibited disregard for the child's well-being to the extent that the child will be harmed by living with the parent;

(ii) placement of the child with the individual takes priority over preserving the day-to-day parent-child relationship because of the presence of physical or emotional danger to the child, or both; or

(iii) other extraordinary circumstances;

(2) prove by a preponderance of the evidence that it is in the best interests of the child to be in the custody of the interested third party; and

(3) show by clear and convincing evidence that granting the petition would not violate section 518.179, subdivision 1a.

The following factors must be considered by the court in determining an interested third party's petition:

(1) the amount of involvement the interested third party had with the child during the parent's absence or during the child's lifetime;

(2) the amount of involvement the parent had with the child during the parent's absence;

(3) the presence or involvement of other interested third parties;

(4) the facts and circumstances of the parent's absence;

(5) the parent's refusal to comply with conditions for retaining custody set forth in previous court orders;

(6) whether the parent now seeking custody was previously prevented from doing so as a result of domestic violence;

(7) whether a sibling of the child is already in the care of the interested third party; and

(8) the existence of a standby custody designation under chapter 257B.

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